Best Records of the Decade So Far

As promised, and following the Best Spanish Records, here are our Best Records of the Decade So Far, with our 60th favourite albums released within the first five years of the decade (2010-2014). As you can imagine, it has been a tough one to make, leaving out many records we love is SO painful. Anyway, just enjoy it & stay tuned. We are working on a spectacular list with our Best Songs of the Decade So Far (we love playlists too!)

60, Say Yes!- The Hi-Life Companion
59. You Love It Here- I Was a King
58. Sugaring Season- Beth Orton
57. Tall Tall Shadow- Basia Bulat
56. Build a Rocket Boys!- Elbow
55. Siesta- The Zebras

54. Sky at Night- I Am Kloot
53. The Luxembourg Signal- The Luxembourg Signal

52. Colour of the Trap- Miles Kane
51. Cold- Be Forest
50. Release Me- The Like
49. The Fool - Warpaint
48. The Soft City- The Soft City
47. Bang Goes the Knighthood - The Divine Comedy
46. Torres- Torres
45. Desire Lines- Camera Obscura
44. Cape Dory- Tennis
43. The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years- The Wild Swans
42. Are We There Yet?- Sharon Van Etten
41. Sealed with a Kiss- Alpaca Sports
40. Evans the Death- Evans the Death
39. Atlas- Real Estate
38. Only in Dreams- Dum Dum Girls
37. The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas - Courtney Barnett
36. Canines- Shrag
35. Veronica Falls- Veronica Falls
34. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light- Spiritualized
33. Alps - Motorama
32. Moth- ExLovers
31. Over the Bluffs- The Holiday Crowd
30. Loveless Unbeliever- The School
29. Collapse Into Now- R.E.M.
28. Ride Your Heart- Bleached
27. Kill My Blues- The Corin Tucker Band
26. Oshin- DIIV
25. Without Why - Rose Elinor Dougall
24. Heart of My Own- Basia Bulat
23. A Year with the Very Most - The Very Most
22. Trouble Will Find Me- The National
21. What we lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood - The Mynabirds
20. Choose Your Own Adventure- Arts & Leisure
19. Europe- Allo Darlin'
18. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
17. Always- Alvvays
16. Hospitality- Hospitality
15. Between the Times and the Tides- Lee Ranaldo
14. Heaven- The Walkmen
13. The King is Dead- The Decemberists
12. Suck It and See- Arctic Monkeys
11. Personal Record- Eleanor Friedberger
10. Silence Yourself- Savages
9. Loom- Fear of Men
8. Honeyblood- Honeyblood
7. Wild Flag- Wild Flag
6. Teen Dream - Beach House
5. Rips- Ex Hex
4. Days- Real Estate
3. Let England Shake- PJ Harvey
2. Tramp- Sharon Van Etten
1. High Violet - The National

The Bloodbuzzed Jukebox 9

Here's our next round of our TOP TEN playlist, with the tunes I have been enjoying the most lately. As with previous sets, this is also available at the blog's soundcloud (come on and join us). With our usual new findings, in this ninth Jukebox we bring you veteran musicians returning to form, exciting bands that will see live tomorrow and a VERY VERY special project that you're going to see several times on this blog... all in all, superb tunes!

Direct links to the previous Jukebox weeks
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6 
Week 7
Week 8

Welcome to the Jukebox!

Best Songs of the Year 2012: 25-1

And here it is: the end of this music countdown with the 25 best tunes of 2012, always in my modest opinion, of course. Hope you have enjoyed this personal music ride!

25. Ununiversizable Us- The Very Most
24. Chained- The XX
23. Song for Leigh- The Walkmen
22. Silver Lining- Guards
21. The National Health- Mäximo Park
20. Myth- Beach House
19. Ivory Coast- Pure Bathing Culture
18. The Rifle's Spiral- The Shins
17. I Got Nothing- Dum Dum Girls
16. Just for Fun- Alpaca Sports
15. Motoring- Toy
14. I'm So Unclean- Evans the Death
13. You Forget So Easily- ExLovers
12. Capricornia- Allo Darlin'
11. The Right Profession- Hospitality
10. Mosaic- Fear of Men
9. Easily Led- Fountains
8. Ruin- Cat Power
7. So Long You Pretty Thing- Spiritualized
6. Off the Wall- Lee Ranaldo
5. On the Spectrum- The Hermit Crabs
4. Follow On Your Own- Young Romance
3. Last Leaves of Autumn- Beth Orton
2. We Can't Be Beat- The Walkmen
1. Leonard- Sharon Van Etten

You can check the complete list of the 100 songs here:
First part: 100-76
Second part: 75-51
Third part: 50-26 

Want to check the 2011's list? You can do it here:
First part: 100-76
Second part: 75-51
Third part: 50-26 
Fourth part: 25-1

Best Songs of the Year 2012: 75-51

Second chapter of the Bloodbuzzed Songs of the Year 2012, with the tunes comprised from positions 75 to 51, with the grooveshark playlist to listen them and have your say. Third part coming tomorrow, so stay tuned and enjoy the music! 

75. Nothing Means Nothing- Peter Buck
74. I Don’t Care- Summer Twins
73. Gone Tomorrow- Lambchop
72. Don’t Believe Ayn Rand- Novella
71. First of My Kind- Miles Kane
70. Found You- The Belljars
69. Sweetness In Her Spark- Lightships
68. Cherokee- Cat Power
67. Breathe Deep- Echo Lake
66. Europe – Allo Darlin’
65. Wanting More- September Girls
64. Kill My Blues- Corin Tucker Band
63. Astronomy- Nat Johnson and The Figureheads
62. We Were Meant to Meet- Baffin Island
61. All Day Today – Hospitality
60. Stop, Look and Listen- Strawberry Whiplash
59. Waiting On a Dream- Lee Ranaldo
58. This Love Will You Lead You On- ExLovers
57. Deconstruction- Fanfarlo
56. Season in Hell- Dum Dum Girls
55. Electric- TEEN
54. Magic Chords- Sharon Van Etten
53. Show Us Your Canines- Shrag
52. Painted Like A Forest- The Holiday Crowd
51. State of Grace- Beth Orton

Best Records of the Year 2012

As promised yesterday, after the EPs' list, here's the review of the year in what regards to the best records of 2012. In my humble opinion of course. Compared with 2011 I have reduced the number of albums because I wanted to be completely honest. Just records that I have listened and enjoyed fully.

The digital age is a blessing for music lovers, as the amount of music you can discover is virtually  unlimited. But it has a negative side: there's a compulsion, a dramatic acceleration on the way we listen to it. How many spins you give a record before moving to another artist? How many records you have stored in your computer of which you could only name 2-3 songs?

Don't know if the LP idea as we know is fated to disappear, but personally it makes me sad. Anyway, this sort of thoughts should go on a different post. But it serves my purpose to tell you why the records from Lightships, BMX Bandits, This Many Boyfriends, Corin Tucker or Motorama didn't make the list. They sound terrific on a first listen, or from what I have heard by now, and that's exactly why they deserve to be listened properly and not to be included on a list just for the sake of mentioning more albums. Having said that, here's the list!

25. Arts & Leisure- Baby Grand
24. Leaving All Behind- Partido
23. Falling- Seapony
22. Nocturne- Wild Nothing
21. Reading Too Much Into Things Like Everything- The School 
20. Sun- Cat Power
19. Rooms Filled With Light- Fanfarlo
18. Mr. E- Lambchop
17. Wild Peace- Echo Lake
16. Hits In The Car- Strawberry Whiplash
15. All Blackshirts To Me- Cats On Fire
14. Una Montaña Es Una Montaña- Los Punsetes
13. Over the Bluffs- The Holiday Crowd
12. Moth- ExLovers
11. Toy- Toy
10. Bloom- Beach House
9. Canines- Shrag
8. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light- Spiritualized
7. Sugaring Season- Beth Orton
6. Evans the Death- Evans the Death
5. Heaven- The Walkmen
4. Between the Times and the Tides- Lee Ranaldo
3. Europe- Allo Darlin'
2. Hospitality- Hospitality
1. Tramp- Sharon Van Etten

Want to check last year's albums list? Just click here

Primavera Club 2012: my wish list

Swans, a quality and prestigious name but very far from my tastes was filtered a couple of days ago. Today, Gabi Ruiz tweeted the full line-up of the Primavera Club 2012 (December 5 to 9) will be announced  next Tuesday12th. So, as I did with Primavera Sound last spring, here's how my wish list would like... aside from my impossible and recurring dreams (I guess) of bringing The Very Most, The Hermit Crabs, Nat Johnson or Electrelane to Barcelona, I just made the list from bands that could be possible seeing their agendas so far... so here's hope!

Alpaca Sports. Well, they are simply one of the most delicious acts that have appeared this year.
Corin Tucker Band, The. The album is just arriving, so they should present it, so why not Barcelona? Or maybe for Primavera Sound 2013. Another amazing option (would love to have both) is to include Wild Flag, still have to come here!
Echo Lake. Touring UK in October....
Evans the Death. Similar case to Echo Lake.
ExLovers. No dates means options? Hope so.
Fonda. They release a new album very soon, so the time is right....
Fountains. The best new band of the year?
Hospitality. My Nº1 choice of the list. They end their American tour in November so...
Motorama. Finally, finally, finally, please...
School, The. Another must-see.
Shrag. "Canines" deserves a stop in Barcelona!
Softies, The. The Chickfactor celebrations gathered them for some gigs. Needless to say that would be a dream come true...
Stealing Sheep. Recently discovered, and completely haunted. How will they sound live?
Strawberry Wiplash. Wouldn't it be nice if Matinée Recordings had a special section at Primavera each year?
Toy. Similar case to Stealing Sheep. Counting the days for the record to arrive...
Wild Nothing. Their calendar dates seems to fit nicely...
Young Romance. Favourites from the blog, Claire and Paolo are an absolute must.

Discoverer 36: new indie findings

Back with new bands for your listening pleasure!

ExLovers. "Moth", the debut album of this London band, formed in 2008, is quickly becoming a recurrent part of the soundtrack of my summer. And with a reason. Cute boy-girl harmonies, jangly guitars, an incomparable talent for finding perfect melodies, and a ton of catchy hooks. Evocative, bittersweet, and instantly addictive, their graceful dreampop/indiepop merges the best from both sides of the Atlantic (think on Teenage Fanclub meeting Pavement, or Stars with hints of Belle and Sebastian). Out since May, "Moth" confirms the expectations of previous EP and singles (2009-2011), being a pure indie delight. 
This Love Will Lead You On by exlovers You Forget So Easily by exlovers Just A Silhouette by exlovers

Pale Sunday. Matinée Recordings strikes back! Another amazing band discovered from their great catalogue. They say they are from Brazil, but I bet you'll think this is a forgotten band from Scottish finest hour, or Sarah Records, the first time you hear their music. This is pluperfect jangly indiepop that will immediately make you nostalgic or euphoric. Its shiny, warm and addictive. "The Fake Stories About You and Me" is their latest EP, just out now, but like me, I'm sure four gorgeous tunes won't be enough,. So I have more good news for you. Check here and here. The band has been active since 2003! So many songs to enjoy!
Summertime? (2005) by palesunday

Picnic. From sunny Brazil to cold Estonia (wished trip for ages)! This trio formed in 2006 and debuted in 2010 with "Winter Honey", gathering critical praise and recognition from Shelflife records, who is (very limitedly) releasing now a wonderful double-sided single with versions of classics "We've Only Just Begun" and "Say a Little Prayer", in anticipation of their sophomore release. Unlike the covers, their music blends shoegaze and dreampop with traces of unconventional instrumentation and electronics without losing pop, melodic structures. Cocteau Twins, Mazzy Star, Mum or Sigur Ros come to mind, but their sound, remains mysterious and haunting as Marjus Taukar's ethereal voice.